Before leaving the Richmond area this morning, we drove past Randolph Macon. Playing “Garmin roulette,” something I didn’t know about appeared on the list of attractions — an observatory. The Keeble Observatory is not huge, but it is cute.

After that detour, we set a course for the Tarntip Thai restaurant in Fredericksburg. When my nephew, Mike, had bemoaned the absence of Thai delivery places near where he lives, I decided to Google “thai delivery fredericksburg” to see what popped up on radar. This one did, with a number of raving reviews. I’ve been burned before by trusting random reviews, but Karen & I decided to give them a try.

Am I glad we did! Tarntip Thai has the best Thai food I’ve ever had. It’s not your typical fare. My guess is that they’ve adapted their cooking styles a la Taste of Saigon (in McLean) by adding butter to the mix. We shared an order of (3) spring rolls. They were the perfect combination of flavor and crispiness. For entrees, Karen had the pad prik pow beef, and I had the pad garlic with shrimp. Both were exquisite. We will be back. I’ve searched online, but I couldn’t find a menu, so I’m posting Tarntip Thai’s menu in PDF.

As the picture shows, Tarntip Thai is located in a strip mall. But, don’t let the location fool you. The ambience inside takes you to a whole different place. It is elegant and peaceful. Adding to the experience, we were greeted by a toddler—a wait staff daughter. She was cuteness personified. I hope she’s there on our next visit.